Neighbors relieved after SWAT situation in South Bend ends peacefully

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Neighbors on South Bend’s northwest side are relieved after a SWAT situation on Olive Street and Prast Boulevard ended peacefully.

Police took a man into custody just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.

According to South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruzskowski, police were originally called to the scene for an unspecified criminal matter.

When they arrived, police learned the man was barricaded inside a home with a gun and a two-year-old child. 

That child was released to family members. 

One woman, Michele Cephus, says she was driving by the intersection pulled over to witness the commotion, even filming much of it live.

When the situation resolved peacefully, you could hear her shouting above the crowd, thanking the South Bend officers as they were clearing the scene.

“Watching the police, they were coming up with the big guns and everything. I was like, ‘oh God no, not today, not today,’” Cephus said. “I even called out on my Facebook live to one of the pastors, Canneth Lee. Shoutout to Canneth Lee. I called out to him on my live to come out and pray. He actually came out and prayed. He came out and prayed. And no sooner, when he walked up, and he started praying, this young man started walking out the house.”

Nobody was seriously injured in the incident.